LA City Council mulls settlement of \”dog food\” discrimination case

The Sacramento Bee reports:

A black firefighter’s dog food harassment lawsuit could cost the city more than $7 million, legal experts warned the City Council.

Tennie Pierce filed the racial discrimination suit after his firehouse colleagues secretly laced his spaghetti with dog food. Trial starts Sept. 24 and lawyers warned Wednesday that a jury could hit the city with a huge judgment.

The council spent two hours debating a last-minute settlement offer behind closed doors, the Los Angeles Times reported. Pierce’s attorneys have reportedly indicated a willingness to settle for $3.1 million.

After an attorney for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said any deal above $1 million would be unacceptable, the council decided to talk about it again on Sept. 18.